My partner and I inside the Saraswati Hindu Temple and Lotus Pond complex.
We have just heard about an easing in Australia's travel restrictions. As our vaccination rates start to hit certain targets, the powers-that-be think this will help protect our hospital system. So now that we can start thinking about some more travel I am thinking it will help to re-live some our our previous trips.
Coconut water is such a life-saver in this hot climate.
The bottom section near the very start of the Campuhan Ridge Walk.
The narrow path leading onto the (Campuhan) ridge.
Photo looking up at this massive tree towering over us.
Upper Campuhan Ridge Walk.
Still on the Campuhan walk; views of valleys full of palm trees is common here.
Ubud street market. There are so many handicrafts and gifts that can be purchased in Ubud and other villages on Bali. It's fun to go shopping but can also be a little overwhelming as almost every stallholder wants you to buy one or more things from their shop, even if you just bought a similar item from their neighbour.
One day we went on a tour around the island to see several sights and dropped into a small village to visit my partner's friend Yuni and her family.
Yuni works at an awesome natural health store in Ubud, where we took advantage of the great prices and bought a bunch of things to use at home. These are locally sourced products, made with love by the locals and the store is full of skin care, hair care, essential oils and the best insect repellant my partner has ever found! It's so lovely to spend time in there, they even serve you a herbal tea as soon as you arrive.
The Monkey Forest (Ubud). And yes, there were a LOT of monkeys!
Caroline took me to see the co-working place she used to run her business out of when she lived on Bali a few years ago. To her delight, a few of the same staff were still there.
There's a section of one main road heading out of Ubud village that is full of furniture and hand made stuff.
On our day tour we visited Tegallalang rice fields which are probably the most famous, most often photographed rice fields in all of Bali.
This was a short coffee stop on the way back from Kintamani. You can just see Lake Batur (middle left), Mt Abang (above lake, closest to the front) and Mt Agung (in the distance).
I don't know what the bird is in this photo, but it was fairly rare to see birds on the island. There were heaps of lizards everywhere, and people (haha) but not a lot of birds.
Toya Devasya Water Park on Lake Batur, but we chose to relax at the Batur Natural Hot Springs.
Batur Natural Hot Springs, view from the cafe where we had lunch.
An old, run down temple on one of the banks of Lake Batur.
The newly built Clear Cafe on Jalan Hanoman, Ubud.
The beach at Sanur, SE of Denpasar (the capital of Bali). Denpasar translates to mean "the market".
Uluwatu, on the south west tip of the Bukit Peninsula.
Looking down at Padang Padang beach.
Suluban beach, one of the most unique beaches we've ever been to. We had to walk down a steep, rocky path and into a cave-like area to get to one part of the beach. The water would rise quickly with each wave and fill half the cave area, which caused a lot of our fellow visitors to squeal with surprise and run away from the water, only to repeat it all again moments later. There was a second part of the beach that was much wider, but we could only get there in low tide and it required squeezing through a hole in the rock. We stayed for an hour or so, had a swim and then left before the water made it unsafe to stay.
The infinity pool at Blue Point Resort.
There must have been some funky music playing as the sun went down, because Caroline insisted on dancing, solo :P
Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple where we had to dress a sarong and have our shoulders covered to enter and walk around. There were monkeys in here too!
Inside the temple complex, but outside one of the temples used specifically for worship which was off limits to tourists.
Affordable luxury at Blue Point Resort.
Lunch one day - after a morning of exploring - in the healthiest cafe my partner could find within walking distance of our hotel.
Sunset over the pool at Blue Point Resort.
The pool, first thing in the morning before it was open to tourists. It never looked this empty! No wonder all the guests loved it, it had a great view over the ocean.
We saw a little bit of Kuta Beach on the way to their airport.
There were a few unexpected sights in Kuta as it was a melting pot of people from different cultural backgrounds and attracts a lot of tourists from around the world.
As we walked through the beach markets at Kuta on our last day, Caroline spotted a man whose job was to care for the public amenities. He had a squirrel as a pet and he insisted it was quite friendly and was happy to let it jump onto her arm for her to get closer to it. It made her day.